Michael Spooneybarger / The Associated PressFormer U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, in the plaid shirt, co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, right, speak with residents at the Santa Rosa Island Authority on Pensacola Beach in Pensacola, Fla., Sunday. The commission visited affected coastal communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida during the weekend.

The seven member panel was created by President Barack Obama and is co-chaired by former Forida Democratic Senator Bob Graham and former Environmental Protection Agency Director William Reilly.

The purpose of the commission, according to its website, is "to provide recommendations on how we can prevent -- and mitigate the impact of -- any future spills that result from offshore drilling."

The hearings will be Monday and Tuesday 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Hiton Riverside Hotel, at the foot of Poydras Street.

Monday's hearing will mainly be a status report from Coast Guard and BP representatives about the progress and challenges of the cleanup and containment efforts that have dragged on for nearly three months.